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Jakarta attacks: Indonesians share defiant message of 'We are not afraid'

Story highlights
  • Attacks hit a mall in central Jakarta, killing at least two people
  • Indonesians post #KamiTidakTakut -- or "We are not afraid" -- after the attacks

(CNN) Soon after explosions rocked central Jakarta on Thursday, Indonesians rose up on social media sharing a defiant message: "We are not afraid."

A suicide bomber detonated at a Starbucks in a mall, and other attackers seized two foreigners outside the coffee shop before shooting people on the street, police said. At least two people died and 19 were wounded.

Indonesian police suspect the attacks are linked to ISIS.

Instead of posting messages of fear, Indonesians tweeted words of strength with the hashtag #KamiTidakTakut, which translates to "we are not afraid." Others shared with #prayforjakarta.

"We are not afraid yesterday. We are not afraid today. We are not afraid of tomorrow," read one translated message from an Indonesian. A photo shows a peaceful dove sitting above a call for Jakarta to be brave and courageous.

An image of solidarity similar to the one that appeared in the wake of the November 13 Paris massacre spread quickly on Twitter. The National Monument in Jakarta appears in the center of the image.

Shocked and sad about what is happening in Indonesia and all over the world. Pray for Indonesia! Stay calm and stay strong! We are not scared! ❤⚪

A tweet by One Direction's Harry Styles in support of Jakarta was also widely shared.

'Safety check'

As the attack unfolded, some users took to social media to share information and updates.

One of the first people to tweet about the attack was Jeremy Douglas, a UN employee who took cover shortly after the explosions went off.

Listen: Witness Jeremy Douglas describes moment of attack

In the following hours as the situation wound down, Jakartans checked in with each other using the hashtag #SafetyCheckJKT.

"Kuningan area is safe and everybody is still going about their activities normally so far," read one tweet soon after the explosions occurred, referring to an area south of the attack site.

"Senayan city closed and evacuated already," reported another user from a nearby area.

CNN's Wilfred Chan contributed to this report.
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